Seven
by mistersnow
Summary: "Seven cherubs were made by God to play as the hidden in a large game of hide and go seek…Six have been found between Heaven and Hell," He stopped for another pause. "Now, the last one has been found and it is you, Alfred." RUSAME / UKUS
1. Chapter 1

It was around seven in the morning when Alfred F. Jones awoke with a start at the sound of his alarm clock across the room from his bed. Letting out a low groan, he brought one hand up to rub sleep from his eyes before rolling over onto his side from his odd position on his stomach. He glared at the alarm across the room and cursed Mondays for the rest of his life. After a few moments of lying there, he finally swung his legs off the bed and stood so that he could turn off the alarm. It took him only a few seconds to navigate his dark room, even with all of the various items strewn across his floor, and when he got to the alarm, he fumbled with the snooze button on the top of the device.

As soon as it turned off completely, he stretched before he headed across the hall to the bathroom. There, he turned on the shower and took a good look at himself in the mirror while the water was warming. He smiled into the mirror as he ran a hand through his hair. He was looking alright for somebody that had just woken up. His hair wasn't all that messy and the bags that had been under his eyes for days seemed to be gone for the most part. He hopped into the shower after making a silly face at himself in the mirror.

His shower lasted only around fifteen minutes before he hopped out and tromped back into his room with a towel about his waist. He carelessly went through his dresser, grabbing the essentials, a pair of jeans, and a random t-shirt. These he threw on before he grabbed his usual hoodie off of his desk chair. With one final look around his room, he zipped up the oversized jacket and went on his way to the lower floor of the townhouse that he lived in.

As soon as he got to the bottom of the steps, he was greeted by the soft smell of breakfast being cooked in the kitchen. He smiled at the smell and headed into the room with a content look. There he found his older brother, Matthew, hard at work in front of the stove. When the door to the kitchen swung closed, however, the tall man turned around to face his younger brother with a huge grin plastered on his face. Alfred immediately smiled back as he set his bag down so that he could sit at the table.

"Hey, did you sleep well, bro?" he asked casually, watching the other as he went back to work at the stove. Alfred had picked his phone out of his pocket while he waited for the other to stop humming and respond.

"Yeah, though it was a bit hard with your snoring in the room over," Matt said, throwing Alfred a look over his shoulder.

Alfred immediately stiffened up at that and a small, nervous smile flashed over his features. He flicked lazily through his messages and read a few of them as he tried to come up with a good retort for his brother's teasing. In the end, Alfred just shrugged his shoulders and decided to change the subject. "Oh hey, have you heard from mom lately? She texted me."

Matthew nodded his head, not that Alfred could see it, and slid one large pancake onto a stack of two. This, he brought over to Alfred with a now gentle smile instead of the big grin from before. The younger of the brothers offered up a little smile of his own before he began to dig into the pancakes, dumping syrup all over them before hand. Matthew went back to the stove, though he replied to Alfred as he went, albeit, he was much quieter this time. In fact, his voice was almost inaudible as if he didn't quite want to talk about that subject. "She did. She said that she was on her way to Paris," he said, swiping a strand of hair from his face even though it always swung back into the same position each time.

"Yeah, that's what she said in the text to me too," Alfred said, sighing softly as he pressed another mouthful of pancakes into his mouth. It wasn't that odd for their mother to send a vague little comment like that to them every now and again in her travels. She was a model and the boys had gotten used to being left alone at the house with only texts from her to calm their nerves on where exactly she was in the world. Alfred, being sixteen, had gotten used to it over since two years ago when she began leaving him at home with Matthew, not a nanny, who was only two years older than himself. "I love you, be patient and strong, mon cheri. I'm on my way to Paris. I'll be home soon. It's always the same message," Alfred mumbled around a bite of his breakfast.

Matthew went back to humming a tune as he prepared his own dish and Alfred went about getting the rest of his things ready for that day at school.

Alfred arrived at school around eight in his brother's small, used car. He said a small goodbye to the other before he hopped out and headed up to the steps where his best friend, Kiku, would always wait for him to arrive. Immediately, he greeted the other with a smile and a wave which earned him a nod in return from the quiet boy as they headed up into the school building. Most of the fifteen minutes before the first bell was spent walking to their class after grabbing their things. Alfred constantly talked all the way to the room, though Kiku didn't seem to mind much as he chatted back with Alfred happily every once in awhile.

"So like, then I was just sitting there staring at the TV, totally confused and sort of disgusted," Alfred said, sliding into his desk at the back of the English room. He dug through his binder for his essay that was due, not finding it easily as he tried picking his way through the mess of papers inside. A soft hum told him that Kiku had heard him and he continued on in his usual boisterous voice, "Like, I shipped her and him so fricken hard, you know. Then the game makers go and pop the whole father and daughter thing out of nowhere."

"It is sort of disappointing, I suppose," Kiku said, glancing up at Alfred who was still looking through his binder for his essay. The Japanese boy had already pulled his out of his bag and set it down on his desk carefully beside his pencils. It wasn't too much of a surprise to the boy that Alfred couldn't find it. After nearly six years of knowing Alfred, Kiku had gotten used to both Alfred's rambunctious attitude and his disorganized ways.

Alfred, finally, let out a sigh and plopped his binder down on the desk. It was now completely obvious that he was missing his paper and he flicked his eyes over to Kiku. The other teen rolled his eyes and suddenly pulled out a small packet of papers from his binder which he handed to Alfred. The teen took them and he grinned at his friend, "Dude, you're like, a life saver. I totally am doing your math homework for like the next month."

Kiku smiled back at Alfred and they quieted down as the teacher began taking roll. The rest of the day would go by rather uneventfully before the final bell of the day would ring. Alfred immediately headed over to his locker and he grabbed out his bag, shoving everything inside before he made his way just down the hall to Kiku's. They would be walking home together as they had been for the last week or two after some circumstances that Alfred had had to deal with.

"Are you still nervous?" Kiku asked, raising a brow as they began to head towards the front door of the school. He noticed Alfred as he shifted a bit uncomfortably at the question. Almost immediately, Kiku tried to mend the awkwardness that his inquiry had dug up. "I mean…he hasn't been around for a long time since I've started walking home with you."

Alfred nodded though he shrugged his shoulders too. They walked in silence out of the school and a ways down the sidewalk out front before Alfred finally spoke. Kiku was immensely relieved when he did, as it wasn't normal for Alfred to be silent, though the topic turned out to be just what Kiku didn't want to talk about then. "Sure, the stalker hasn't been where I normally see him, dude…but that doesn't mean that he's not…you know, around."

Kiku nodded his head and he quickly attempted to change the subject to something lighter. He managed to get Alfred onto the topic of the game he'd been talking about that morning, though Kiku's mind still dwelled on the subject from before.

Alfred had run into a problem a few months before, though Kiku had only learned about it about two weeks prior to that day. His American friend had stopped him one day after school and asked Kiku to go talk with him in a part of the school that was usually not too crowded. There, Alfred had disclosed to Kiku that he'd been encountering a stalker of sorts while walking home from school and the raven haired boy was immediately concerned. He demanded to walk home with Alfred and the next week he began to do so, though the stalker had seemed to disappear.

From what Kiku had the other describe of the stalker, he was tall and really creepy. He always stood outside the cemetery that Alfred passed on his way home. Every time that Alfred would pass by, the man would say hello, specifically to Alfred, and then proceed to wander behind him until Alfred had to cross the road at the far edge of the cemetery. At first, Alfred said that he had thought nothing of it, though steadily the man had grown more demanding that Alfred actually talk to him when he walked by. He apparently had also offered to help Alfred home or to drive him home on a few occasions, obsessively insisting on it.

As they approached the cemetery, their pace slowed down and they both held their breath as they rounded the corner of a house to stare down the street at the gates of the place. Alfred immediately clapped his hands together with a loud sigh of relief. There was nobody standing near the cemetery meaning that they were in the clear. Kiku promptly gave Alfred a smile and a tiny punch in the arm as they headed down the road and past the pretty little gate of the cemetery.

It would take them about a half an hour to get to Alfred's house and about ten different conversation topics. When they finally got there, however, they were quickly stopped by a voice from the house over from Alfred's. There, on the steps of the house, stood a short man with messy blonde hair. His green eyes stared at the two boys as one of his large brows lifted up in a little teasing look. "And what are you two rascals doing?"

Immediately, a big grin spread over Alfred's face and he hurried past the steps of his own house to go wrap his arms around the man who'd come down from his own steps to meet Alfred. "Dude, Mr. Kirkland, you're back! I didn't think I was ever going to see you again!"

The man laughed and he pat Alfred's back before he let him go to look him over skeptically. He tisked before sighing, pressing one pale hand to his forehead as if to show off his woe at something. "My, my and how small you were when I left all those years ago. I feel as though I hardly know you anymore," he said, his voice raising a few octaves along with the intensity of his already thick English accent. Suddenly, however, he stopped and gave Alfred a completely poison look, punching him swiftly in the arm none too gently which caused Alfred to whimper with pain. "Oh, man up, you wretch. I was only gone a week. No need to cry over it! Ah, Kiku, I see that you're the one keeping this one in order still, eh?"

Kiku smiled softly at Mr. Kirkland as he approached and he held out a hand to the man to shake. The Englishman took it firmly and shook it strongly like a true businessman, though truthfully the man was only a simple librarian at the local library. He then let go of Kiku's hand and smiled at them both with all of his crooked teeth showing. Alfred and Kiku couldn't help but grin back at Alfred's young neighbor.

Even if the man seemed really old at times, Alfred had to remind himself that the man was only twenty-four, although, a widower to a wife he had at just nineteen. He had moved in next door to Alfred two years prior and he was a close to Kiku in Alfred's hierarchy of friends. Alfred returned the punch to the man, though his landed softly on the other's chest as Alfred laughed at his two friend's overly formal ways. "You two are like," he began, pausing to think of a word, "like old men or something. No offense, Mr. Kirkland."

The joke earned him a glare, but the man waved them up the steps of his house anyways. He informed Alfred that his brother would be home late and that he'd gotten permission for Al, as well as Kiku, to stay at his place in the meantime.

Both boys were quick to raid Arthur's kitchen, making off with some chips and soda even with Mr. Kirkland on their heels about being thieves. They settled down in the living room and they quickly got to work on their homework. As promised, Alfred got right to work on Kiku's math. All the while, they quietly joked back and forth while Mr. Kirkland wandered around the house getting settled back in after his weeklong trip back to his home country. It was around six when Kiku's mother showed up to pick the young man up and it was about an hour later when Matthew came home with dinner in hand.

Alfred said a quick goodbye to Mr. Kirkland and he headed inside to hang out with Matthew for the rest of the night.

The next day, Alfred awoke to the sound of his phone pinging beneath his pillow instead of his alarm across the room. He sat up in bed groggily and he stared down at the screen with a frown. It was around six in the morning, an hour earlier than when he usually got up, and the message was from Kiku. He slid his finger across the screen and promptly went to check out what his friend had woke him up for. Nerves instantly washed over him as he saw the message.

Kiku couldn't walk home with him anymore due to tutoring that he had to do afterschool.

Alfred, tucking the phone back under his pillow, swiped a hand through his hair and sighed. He would have to find another way to get home if the man showed up at the cemetery again later that day. Even if it meant finding a whole different route that took him thirty minutes longer, he didn't care.

Alfred spent the next day at school wracked with nerves. All day he kept getting glares from people in class for tapping his pencil and another, which he borrowed from Kiku, was shamefully returned with teeth marks all over it. Kiku had promptly thrown that one away. Then, at the end of the day, Alfred found himself confronted by the shorter boy who looked up at Alfred with a frown.

"I am worried about you, Alfred," he said and Alfred shrugged his shoulders dumbly as he stared off down the hall, past the other boy. Kiku seemed to notice this and he turned to look off in the same direction. When he found nothing but open space, he raised a hand to snap his fingers before Alfred's face. This seemed to startle Alfred back into consciousness as he looked down at Kiku with wide eyes. It wasn't a usual occurrence for Kiku to do something like that, albeit, Alfred himself had been rather off that day about almost everything.

"Kiku, I have to go," he said, moving past his friend and down the hall. Kiku let out a loud sigh and followed Alfred to the doors of the school. All the time that they were walking, Kiku seemed to keep going on and on about how Alfred should just tell Matt what was going on. He explained to deaf ears that Alfred should tell Matt because Matt could help the American get rid of the stalker.

Alfred simply shrugged again and he left the school without looking back at his friend. He walked slowly down the street and he stopped every so often to check his phone for the time. When he did, he fidgeted with the screen, turning up the brightness and then dimming it just to pass time. Finally, he seemed to realize how pathetic he was acting about the whole situation. He thought to all of the superhero stories that he enjoyed reading or the games that he liked playing at home. The hero, or heroine, was almost never a nervous wreck like this. He was a disgrace to the heroes of his favorite worlds.

Picking up the pace, Alfred made his way towards the cemetery in record time. He approached the corner and stopped right as he was about to turn it and look to the cemetery. The teen took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming himself as he thought to the words that his mother always told him when she was around or in texts when she was gone: be patient and strong. When he felt brave enough, he turned the corner with his head held high and stared straight down the road at the gates of the cemetery. His heart thumped in his chest and his bravery almost faltered at the sight of the tall man waiting by the gates.

Alfred stared, though pretty soon he felt himself moving forward towards the man as a sort of rage filled inside of him. He was tired of being so afraid of this man. He would give him a piece of his mind and the other wouldn't be stalking Alfred any longer. Alfred had enough. 


	2. Chapter 2

It was quiet outside of the cemetery. There was not a single soul out on the street besides Alfred and the other man. Not even a single car passed them in the long moments that Alfred stood in front of him simply panting as he stared up at his unmoving face. The younger man's fists were balled at his sides tightly and his shoulders were raised up in a defensive sort of stance even as he shook with a mix of anger and now fear. He could see the man smiling down at him and the sight would have been sort of funny to Alfred considering the situation, but there was something off about it that had Alfred's confidence quickly fading.

Taking a step back from the man, Alfred opened his mouth and then closed it again when the other raised up a hand. The younger watched as the man turned and waved his hand as if to tell Alfred to follow him. He stared for a second at the back of the man before he glanced around and followed him into the cemetery.

It was a surprisingly long walk through the cemetery and Alfred found himself marveling at the sheer size of the place. He took a few moments to pass his eyes over some graves before he would quicken his pace to catch up with the long strides of the taller man. When his eyes were not focused on the graves, they were looking over the man that walked in front of him while he wondered what had possessed him to follow the other. The man was tall and he seemed rather bulky in size though Alfred couldn't quite be sure as the man wore a large tan trenchcoat that did a good job of hiding the man's figure.

Alfred wondered for a second on how easy it would be for the other to shove him into a car and keep him there. He was startled from the thought, however, when they actually came to a car on the other side of the cemetery. The man had opened the door for him and was now smiling at him expectantly.

The boy backed up a few paces into the cemetery and nearly fell over onto his butt. He could feel the odd purple gaze of the other digging into his form. Once again, he felt himself moving forward as the feeling of rage from before filled the boy's body. It was suddenly as if getting in the car was a challenge that he couldn't back down from. In seconds, he was in the back of the car and the door was shut tightly behind him. He stared out the window for a moment before he seemed to come out of a trance, his hands shooting out to the handle to try forcing the door open.

After a few moments of struggling with the door, he slumped back in his seat and watched the man get into the front of the car. Alfred would have lunged for the passenger seat, but the grate between the front and back of the car was the obvious downfall of that plan. He glanced out the window once more and felt panic well inside of himself as the car began to move. Thinking back to all of the things that his mother had told him about these situations, he quickly pulled his phone from his pocket to dial the emergency line.

A voice from the front seat stopped him just as he opened up the dialing screen. "I would not be doing that, Alfred. I am only trying to help you," the man said, voice deep with warning even as it managed to remain oddly sweet.

Alfred stared up into the rearview mirror to see the man's eyes looking back at him and he relaxed slightly. At least there was one fear gone: the man wasn't psychic. Slowly, Alfred closed out of the screen and he set the phone in his lap until the man looked away. He then focused on keeping his voice steady as he finally spoke, "You're trying to help me? Who are you? I don't even know you."

He could see the other man's eyes flick to him once more in the mirror at the questions before he looked back to the road. Alfred turned his head slightly to the side, glancing out the window once the man looked away. They were in the rich part of the city, he noted, watching as all the large houses went by outside of the window. It was a long time before the man responded and Alfred nearly missed it as he was too busy watching the city pass by the window. They were on a route out of town and that fact alone nearly had Alfred in tears.

"My name is Ivan," the man said, looking back at Alfred through the rearview mirror even as the boy continued to stare out the window. His eyes flickered back to the road after a second and he continued, "I will explain more when we get to a place that is more comfortable for chatter."

Alfred nodded slowly and he tried pulling at the handle of the car once more, though it was no use. He silently cursed whoever had come up with childlock doors. Slumping back in his seat once again, Alfred let out a deep sigh and let a few tears slip down his face as his eyes closed tightly. His arms came up to hold himself as he felt his throat burn as his want to cry rose. He felt horrible and like there was absolutely no hope in that moment. Alfred's blue eyes flickered up to the mirror once more to find Ivan staring at him, a smile on his face.

"Where are you taking me?" Alfred said, his voice shaking as more tears forced their way down his cheeks. He vaguely wondered if this Ivan was some sort of sociopath or psychopath. The boy remembered something about them being two different things, but he wasn't sure what it was. "I have a brother at home and a mother I barely see. Mom is coming home soon. I-I want to see her, so just let me go, okay? I won't tell or a-anything."

"нет, you will be staying with me for a while," Ivan said, his voice was once again firm though still remained sweet to the younger man. Alfred could see his hands tighten on the wheel and he shrunk back into the seat nervously. He felt so defenseless at that moment and so unlike himself. He wasn't sure what to think or do. His eyes glanced back down at his phone that sat in his lap.

Blue eyes glanced up at the mirror once again and he reached down to toy with it. He rubbed his thumb over the back of it before passing it to his other hand. He hummed softly as he did so and he felt himself start to relax slightly. The teen soon felt himself growing tired, however, eyes closing as he leaned back in his seat. Soon enough, the world seemed to fall away from Alfred and he felt himself engulfed in a warm light. It wrapped itself around him and caressed his face gently even as the boy struggled slightly against it. However, soon enough, he felt himself relax in it. Calm washed over his form and he let out a soft sigh in his sleep.

"Don't worry, Alfred," the light muttered to him and Alfred could have sworn the voice sounded familiar. He couldn't bring himself to care though as he snuggled closer to it. The touch wrapped around him felt like soft feathers and he found the feeling very comforting. It was almost like it was something that he'd felt before. "I'm coming to save you. I'll explain things when I find you...Stay safe and do not listen to that man. Wake up now. You need to find a way out."

When the voice faded away, Alfred's eyes slowly opened and he sat up on a soft mattress. He took a few moments to look around the large room from his spot before he slid his feet off the side. It seemed that the other had been taking him to a more comfortable place, but Alfred was still unsure why and if he could trust the man that had stolen him. He was severely confused, though glad that he had not been killed in his sleep.

Feeling oddly calm, the boy checked each of his pockets for his phone and found it missing. He sighed, though he made no other indication of his frustration at the loss of his device. Instead, he got up and headed towards the only door in the room which led him out into a hallway with a large staircase in the middle. He made his way towards the stairs, though the sound of voices stopped him at the top and he turned towards one of the doors that sat on the opposite side of the hall.

Alfred thought about ignoring them, though something told him that the voices might tell him about his situation and he inched towards the door. He stood to the side of it, back against the wall and head tilted towards the noise as he listened. There seemed to be two people talking, but Alfred had no clue who either of the voices belonged to as they sounded too feminine to be Ivan's.

"I can't believe that he brought him here," one of the voices hissed, a thunking noise sounding shortly after.

"Natalya, do not be so harsh. He wants to help the poor boy," another voice came, this one sweeter and calmer.

"And he will get us all killed," Natalya hissed back, Alfred shrinking away from the door at the harshness.

"I am sure that he has taken the precautions," the sweet one said, sighing lightly.

A tsk came from within the room and Alfred had to wait a few moments for the conversation to continue. It was small talk for a few seconds, started by the sweet one, before the Natalya woman cut in. Her voice was like a never ending hiss as she talked to the other. Alfred almost felt bad for whoever this other woman was.

"Big brother is so stupid. We should just kill the boy and get this all over with," she hissed.

"He could be of use in Hell," the sweet woman said, a clicking noise beginning in the room as she spoke.

"He could be of use in Hell," Natalya mocked, unaware of the ever confused teen standing on the other side of the door. "He could also be of use in Heaven and big brother is putting us all in jeopardy by giving him a choice!"

"Natalya, that is enough," the sweet one suddenly spoke up, her voice sounding only slightly ticked as the clicking stopped. "Our brother has his reasons. He was not given a choice when he became…"

Her voice stopped and Alfred wondered for a moment if he had been detected before he realized that her voice had just gotten much quieter. He leaned closer to the door and tried to hear more clearly, but he couldn't catch anything that was then being said by the two women. Slowly, he made it so that he could peer through the slightly open door and he stared, wide eyed, at the two figures that sat within the room. He didn't even notice that a gasp had escaped him until the door was fully open and the shorter of the two women stood in front of him, a hand around his neck.

"See, this is the problem. These humans are dull and will do stupid things," Natalya hissed and Alfred continued to stare at her with wide eyes. He could see the other woman approaching with a cautious smile. His hands came up to clutch at the hand around his neck, though he found that it only made it restrict his airway more. As he did so, he focused his eyes on the horrid features of the two women: horns, wings, and devil's tail.

"Let….go," Alfred managed to get out, struggling against her as she began to push him back towards the stairs.

"Natalya," the woman behind her called, her face twisted into one of worry as she attempted to grab onto the smaller girl in order to stop her.

"I will make it look like an accident," she said, "Big Brother will never have to know and Hell will no longer have to deal with these little brats."

Tears were now in Alfred's eyes as he struggled for air. He twisted his body and tried his best to stop himself from going backwards, but the woman holding him was just way too strong for her size. When another voice came to his ears in a loud boom, he felt himself slump to the ground and he clutched at his throat as air reached his lungs once more. His eyes came up to focus on the tall figure standing just down the hallway. "Ivan," he groaned, noting the horrid demonic features that also adorned the large man.

"Natalya," Ivan said, sweetly as he looked over the two women and then down to the crumpled form of Alfred. He seemed to not be upset by his voice, but his smile seemed to show a whole different story as he reached out to grab onto Natalya's arm. She seemed to look afraid for a moment, though it quickly turned to anger and she pulled away to escape down the hall with the other woman in tow.

It was only a few seconds before Ivan was down on Alfred's level, his head cocked to the side with a much softer smile on his face. "Alfred, are you hurt?" he asked, reaching out to softly set a hand on Alfred's head.

The teen was trembling and his eyes focused on Ivan as if he was a ghost, or more, a demon. "What are...What is…" Alfred tried, though his voice cut out and he struggled to get to his feet. Ivan rose with him and he quickly wrapped an arm around the teen before he could stop him. After a few awkward moment, the teen was finally brought back to his room by the other where he got on the bed and curled up tightly around himself.

"This has to all be a weird nightmare, either that or it's a really stupid crazy prank," Alfred muttered, burying his face in his knees as he listened to Ivan shuffle around the room. When a weight finally settled on the bed, Alfred looked up to stare at the normal Ivan from the car.

"I did not want you to find out this way, but it seems that this is how it was supposed to go. It is not a prank or a nightmare," Ivan began and Alfred shifted so that he could sit beside the other. Alfred seemed as though he was in denial, which was understandable to Ivan. This was a large thing to suddenly be confronted with.

"What are you?" Alfred asked, abruptly, before Ivan could continue in his thoughts or in his explanation.

"A demon," Ivan responded and Alfred let out a dry laugh before he stood up from the bed to storm towards the door which he quickly found was locked. He turned to Ivan with a deep frown and held out his hand expectantly. "I'm sure you have more questions."

"I don't have time for stupid jokes," Alfred said, glaring around the room. "Just let me out of here. I want to go."

Ivan seemed to look upset for a moment before he stood up and wandered over to a cabinet in the corner of the room. Alfred's eyes followed his every move, but Ivan didn't seem to care as he brought out two glasses and a bottle from the cabinet. One of the glasses, he held out to Alfred.

"No, I don't think so," he growled and Ivan set the glasses down on the cabinet before he opened the bottle to take a swig of the clear alcohol that was inside.

"I will answer all of your questions if you will trust me," Ivan said, sitting down on the bed once more.

Alfred seemed to look skeptical before he sighed and sat down on the bed beside the other. His eyes glared at the door which caused Ivan to chuckle. "Shut up," Alfred said, Ivan slowly quieting.

"Alright," Ivan muttered, "What do you want to know?"


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is kind of short, I think, compared to the others...but I needed to get something posted because it's been a really long time. If you find any mistakes, please let me know so that I can fix them. Also, thank you for the kind reviews! I'm happy to hear from each of you!**

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The room was silent for a long while as Alfred shifted around on the large bed. He took his time to glance around the room and over Ivan before he even began to think about questions focused on this outrageous situation. When he did, however, he found himself questioning the reason for him to even be in this situation in the first place. Things like this didn't happen to ordinary people and, the more that he thought about it, things like this only happened to fictional people. No matter what the ghost shows told you, things like this simply weren't real, but he was seriously having trouble trying to find another explanation.

There was no way that this all could be a prank with how the 'demons' were able to produce wings out of nowhere. Even if it weren't for that fact, there wasn't really anyone who'd be able to pull a prank like this without some serious money in their pocket. Alfred knew no such person. A dream was also ruled out simply by the fact that Alfred could feel everything around him. Even the sun coming through the window was felt by the young man as he sat on the bed contemplating everything.

In the end, he came out broke for ideas and he turned to Ivan with a look of confusion and fear. Alfred wasn't a very religious person, only going to church on the holidays, but he was fairly certain that seeing a demon was a bad thing. "You're really a demon…and that means…am I dead?" He asked, voice shaking as he stared at Ivan who was focusing on the bottle of alcohol in his hands.

"No, you are very much alive, Alfred," Ivan said, glancing up at Alfred. It was obvious that the man was holding back some sort of chuckle or laugh at the young man's face. It was fairly amusing to see him so upset.

"Then why are you here? What's so important about me?" Alfred said, swallowing before he spoke as if to steady his voice. It still managed to quake, though he seemed to have it fairly under control.

Ivan's eyes seemed to grow a bit dark at that question before he rose from the bed to go and set down the bottle on the small cabinet. He came back and produced a key from his jacket. He motioned to the door, asking Alfred if he preferred a more comfortable place for them to talk. The teen slowly nodded and he approached the door cautiously as Ivan unlocked it, afraid that the two women might still be around. It seemed that they weren't and Ivan led him out into the hall with confidence.

As they made their way down the hall, Alfred took his time and stayed just a few steps behind the taller man. It was interesting how the house had such dark floors and walls, though the décor seemed to be so bright with large paintings of sunflower filled fields. One painting in particular stopped Alfred and he set his eyes on it, carefully examining each stroke on the large canvas. Ivan seemed to notice the other was not following him anymore and he turned to glance back at the youngster with a raised brow.

"This painting isn't like the others," Alfred said, reaching out to rub his fingers over the surface of the painting. It was rough from the various layers of paint that were on it.

"It isn't?" Ivan said, as if questioning the other's judgment whilst he came forward to stand next to Al.

"No," Alfred said, pausing to look over the rather sad scene. It was a painting unlike the others in the fact that it was not a field full of flowers, but instead, snow. There was a large mansion in the picture with a fountain out front of it, though the entire place seemed to be falling apart. He frowned at the sight before glancing over at a now solemn Ivan. "Is this the house that we're in?"

Ivan shook his head and waved a hand, turning on his heel to head down the hallway once more. He stopped at the stairs just to turn back to watch Alfred who reluctantly left the painting to follow the other. That sweet smile had come back to Ivan's face as Alfred approached and healmost wished that it hadn't.

Quickly, the two men made their way down the stairs and Ivan, taking ahold of Alfred's arm, pulled him into a large room that looked like a den. He sat him down on the couch and unfurled the demonic parts that he had been sporting earlier

"It is uncomfortable for demons to hold in their parts for long," Ivan said, the younger near immediately getting the point as he slumped down in his seat. He still felt very confused and hoped that Ivan would come to his explanation soon.

As if reading his mind, Ivan quickly sat down on the couch adjacent to Alfred with his hands neatly folded in his lap. "You are one piece to a large game, Alfred, and there are many beings that have been looking for you over the last few centuries. You are very lucky to have made it this long."

Alfred blinked and shifted as Ivan's smile grew on his face. Just that explanation had made his head spin with more questions and it became painfully clear that this was going to be very confusing. He started to wish he'd taken the drink Ivan had offered him.

"You must be so confused," Ivan nearly crooned, Alfred nodding slowly before the other continued. "Well, it is a long story, and I do not have the energy to tell it to you in great detail; however, I will share with you the basics for today."

"Hurry up. I just want to know what's going on," Alfred words burst out in one long string, already he was near desperate for answers.

"Patients," Ivan chuckled, though he continued a moment later. "As all things, God created you and the world that you live in. He is the father to almost all life and he is what most humans would call good, but in honesty, he is a tricky man."

At this point, Ivan paused and he leaned back on the couch, though mindful of his wings which he kept carefully folded so that they would not be harmed. He brought his tail, thin and pointed in a spade at the tip, to his lap where he carefully wrapped his hands around the end of it. His violet eyes lowered as if in thought, before he glanced back up at Alfred once more. "Do you think that they are interesting?" he inquired, taking Alfred by surprise.

The teen stared at him for a long few moments before he nodded slowly and responded, "You can like, feel them and everything…?"

"Of course," Ivan said, standing up from his seat to wander closer to the other. He sat on the edge of the couch beside Alfred and wrapped one leathery wing around him. His smile never seemed to fade which had the teen on edge. It was like he was staring into the face of a wolf, given the other had rather large fangs in addition to his other demonic features. "If you want, you may touch them. I do not mind."

Alfred, though cautious, glanced back at the black wing behind him before he reached out a hand to trace a finger across one of the curled horns protruding from the side of Ivan's head. The horn was very shiny, he noted, and cold to the touch. He ran his fingers along one of the ridges of the horn, barely noticing as a low rumbling sound left the demon he was currently observing.

"They are very interesting, yes?" Ivan said, Alfred now recognizing that noise as another chuckle.

"Yeah, but…I mean…You were telling me about what's going on, remember?" Alfred asked, sounding just slightly annoyed as he promptly pulled his hand away. His eyes fell down to it and he forgot about his moment of wonder at the other's features, wondering just what type of an influence the demon had on him. He wondered if that was the thing that had got him into the mess in the first place.

Ivan sighed then which sounded, in his own way, a tad annoyed as well. He stood up and returned to his prior spot whilst removing his demonic features from the sight of the other. With them out of the way, he plopped himself down on the couch to continue his story. "As I said before, God is a tricky man. He enjoys his games and he created you to be a prize in one of his many schemes."

Alfred shifted at those words and worried at his bottom lip with his teeth, his eyes flicked up to Ivan for a second, then down to the floor once again. He was becoming increasingly more uncomfortable with his situation and he felt that odd sense of calm from before now being ripped away from him.

"Seven cherubs," Ivan said, Alfred eyes snapping up to Ivan at the mention of the young angels. He could see the demon's eyes on him and watched them carefully as they seemed to dance over his form which, again, caused Alfred to shift. "Seven cherubs were made by God to play as the hidden in a large game of hide and go seek…Six have been found between Heaven and Hell," He stopped for another pause. "Now, the last one has been found and it is you, Alfred."

The small gasp could obviously be heard and Alfred was left shaking as something inside of him seemed to snap. He sat there for a long while in silence before there was a large cracking noise from outside which caused Alfred to jump. His eyes met Ivan's briefly before the demon had ahold of his arm once more to drag him up from his seat and towards the entryway. It was a blur of motion, though Alfred soon found himself in a closet with the door locked before him so that he was powerless to do anything but pound on it with his fist in vain.

It was a few moments of pure silence from the other side before a burst was heard and howling came soon after. Alfred backed away from the door as a blinding light shown from the cracks all around it. He stepped back until he met the wall and then, slowly, he slid to the floor where he sighed and rested his head against his knees. Nothing could surprise him now. Not even the horrible sounds now echoing from the other side of the door. Everything was going out of control and it was all too much.

Before he could even move from his spot, the door suddenly flew off of its hinges and Alfred found his eyes drawn up to the figure standing there in the doorway. It was familiar, even bathed in light and the calm flooded over him again. He was safe, though the feelings of anger and confusion still burned inside of him.

Alfred got to his feet and he approached the figure slowly. One hand stretched out to meet the hand of the being shrouded in light and then warmth fell over him, bringing him into paradise.


End file.
